LynxOS Messenger introduces new distributed computing methodology for high-availability bus and cluster-based systems
SAN JOSÉ, Calif.—September 20, 1999—Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. today introduced LynxOS® Messenger, a new high-performance messaging extension to the LynxOS® real-time operating system (RTOS) that enables extremely efficient, distributed computing architectures for use in hard real-time computing applications. LynxOS Messenger, based on the industry standard Intelligent I/O (I2O) peer-to-peer protocol, contains facilities to manage communications in hot-swappable computer systems using the CompactPCI backplane.
LynxOS Messenger implements a message-based communication protocol for intelligent devices to cooperatively process information for supporting split device drivers in a high-availability system. Software applications and split device drivers communicate with each other through the underlying I/O bus using services defined by the LynxOS Messenger APIs. The LynxOS Messenger model uses the 132MB, or greater, per second bandwidth of the PCI bus for data transfer.
"Distributed computing is a foundation element of advanced systems, especially high availability architectures," said John Seaton, Lynx vice president of marketing. "With LynxOS Messenger, Lynx extends its lead in high-availability solutions with advanced technology to the telecommunications and other markets. Lynx now provides the highest performance RTOS along with the highest performance messaging facilities to address those systems."
I2O, being developed by a consortium of computer companies called the I2O special interest group, is designed to eliminate I/O bottlenecks by using special I/O processors to handle the details of interrupt handling, buffering and data transfer. LynxOS Messenger offers a software implementation of the I2O protocol allowing systems benefiting from the added performance of I2O hardware and systems not yet using I2O hardware to interact, thereby facilitating split communications protocol processing. Applications and I/O processors are defined as logical objects in a global namespace. An object name may specify a particular object or can represent a pool of devices, such as a cluster of I/O processors.
By abstracting the system architecture and bus topology, LynxOS Messenger allows applications to view their distributed environment as a single virtual computer. High-availability processes execute without regard to card location and do not need to address other processes or CPUs according to platform specifics. This level of abstraction is needed, for example, to deploy applications in a high availability CompactPCI environment. It eases prototyping, system monitoring and dynamic fault management in the distributed environment.
Because LynxOS Messenger is processor, bus and OS independent, it allows unimpaired inter-process communications between processors and processes in a distributed network. When used in conjunction with I2O-capable PCI hardware, the LynxOS Messenger maps one-to-one onto the I2O architecture specification, and the messaging between devices is very performance efficient. LynxOS Messenger may also be used on non- I2O-compliant I/O processors and hosts where the I2O functionality is implemented as software by the LynxOS Messenger. This innovative architecture provides flexible communication in a hard real-time environment.
In conjunction with the LynxOS reliable processing environment, a unique combination of integrated hardware memory management unit (MMU) support and a family of high availability solutions, LynxOS Messenger can divide a system function into a number of communicating processes. Each process resides on different boards in a CompactPCI system as software objects with their own protected resources and connected by the LynxOS Messenger. This approach allows the objects to be independently designed and coded and is particularly well suited to a complex distributed system with specialized processors including voice-over-IP and communication processors.
LynxOS Messenger includes an I/O processor manager, a software component providing the overall management of subordinate intelligent devices in the PCI domain along with an interface between its clients and the host OS Hot Swap/high availability support subsystem.
Functions include:
An optional Messenger Interface Network (MINET) driver is available with LynxOS Messenger to implement TCP/IP connectivity across the Messenger backplane. To simplify the programming of distributed applications, this data-link driver interfaces directly with the Lynx TCP/IP stack for network addressing and routing. With MINET, LynxOS Messenger logical devices appear just like nodes on an Ethernet network, allowing programmers to use standard, off-the-shelf development tools and applications.
An ISO 9001 registered company, Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. provides the foundation software for reliable and high-performance applications in telecommunications, data communications, avionics, automotive, office automation and process control systems. Lynx supplies embedded software products including scalable real-time operating systems, a software framework for high-availability systems, development tools and technical support worldwide. These products are based on such industry standards as POSIX®, Java™ and CompactPCI to enable customers to leverage their investments in software and education. Lynx holds two patents for real-time software and has three patents pending. Founded in 1988, Lynx is a privately held company with offices in North America, Europe and Japan, with worldwide headquarters in San José, California.
LynxOS is a registered trademark of Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. Other brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective holders.
| Kirsten Long Director, Marketing Communications LynuxWorks, Inc. USA +1 408-979-4404  |
Dave Reddy Weber Shandwick USA +1 650-868-4659  |
Peter van der Sluijs Neesham Public Relations Europe +44 1442-879222  |
| Hamid Mirab Managing Director EMEA LynuxWorks Ltd. United Kingdom +44 208-906-9506  |
Elvia Soltero Weber Shandwick USA +1 408-685-0614  |
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